Of GM’s once mighty Sloan Ladder (Chevrolet-Pontiac-Oldsmobile-Buick-Cadillac), Pontiac is my least favorite. It consistently had the worst sales of the middle market brands, except for a brief boom in the 60s. It also was lacking in novel products during GM’s heyday, Oldsmobile gave us the innovative Toronado, the top selling Cutlass, and many nifty features such as the first automatic transmission and first 4 barrel carburetor, Buick gave us the gorgeous Riviera and Roadmaster. Pontiac’s only 2 really great cars from GM’s golden age (Pre-1980) were the GTO and the subject of this diary, and even those, I feel, could’ve been produced by any other division, and in fact, the Oldsmobile 4-4-2 effectively was the Oldsmobile GTO and of course the Firebird was a twin to the Chevy Camaro. But the Firebird lasted for 35 years and became a staple of popular culture.
Pontiac General Manager John Delorean, coming off a wave of successes, wanted the company to build a small 2 seater based off the Banshee concept to compete with the Mustang. The 14th Floor said “no”, perhaps wisely worrying about it cannibalizing Corvette sales. Instead, they would have to base their pony car off the under-development Chevrolet Camaro.
The Firebird was unveiled alongside the Camaro for 1967 on the F-body platform. GM had an extreme amount of divisional siloing in those days, which meant the Firebird had its own engines and transmissions. The top engine was a 6.6 Liter V8 from the GTO. That V8 sums up all the lies that were being peddled with regards to horsepower numbers in those days. GM had an internal rule that their cars, besides the Corvette, produce no more than 1 horsepower per 10 pounds of curb weight. The engine in the GTO was rated at 360 horsepower (an exaggerated figure for sure obtained by testing the engine with free flow exhaust and no power robbing accessories) while the same exact engine in the Firebird was rated at 325. The madness ended with the switch to net HP ratings in 1971. The Trans Am trim level first appeared in March 1969. Sales for the first Firebird were disappointing at less than 300,000.
The second generation, before the 5 mph bumpers were put on in 1974, was one of the prettiest cars of the 70s. It has grace and poise, it was almost European in its elegance. Unfortunately, not many people bought this beautiful car as insurance rates skyrocketed for pony cars and put the brakes on that market. Convertibles were discontinued.
1974 was a perilous time for the Firebird and Camaro. With the discontinuation of the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Barracuda and the downsizing of the Ford Mustang, the Firebird/Camaro were suddenly the only traditional pony cars left. GM had considered discontinuing them and focusing on a pair of subcompact sport coupes: the Pontiac Sunbird and Chevrolet Monza. But with the loss of competition, sales of the F-bodies rose and GM chose to keep them. From just 46,000 Firebirds sold in 1973, it went up: 73,000 in 1974, 84,000 in 1975, and a record 110,000 in 1976. In 1976, a t-top became optional, a compromise meant to provide some open top fun without the complexity, weight, cost, and danger of a convertible.
For 1977, the Firebird got a facelift with a new snarling front end. More importantly, it got a starring role in the movie Smokey and The Bandit . Director Hal Needham saw the Trans-Am Special Edition in an advertisement and thought it be the perfect car for the protaganist, played by Burt Reynolds. So Pontiac signed a product placement deal. Smokey became the 2nd highest grossing movie of 1977, behind only Star War, and there were no Millenium Falcon dealerships. Sales jumped to 155,000, the first time the Firebird outsold the Camaro. In 1978, they hit 187,000, and then peaked in 1979 at 211,000.
Firebird sales plunged in 1980 to 107,000 and then to 73,000 in 1981 thanks to the 2nd energy crisis. Engines got smaller, and now it became possible to get a Trans Am with a turbocharger.
The Firebird was redesigned for 1982. It gained an aggressive front with pop up headlights. It was now possible to equip the car with Pontiac’s iron duke 2.5 liter 4 cylinder, making a pathetic 90 horsepower. That was discontinued in 1987. More exciting, after 1989, you could get a Buick Turbo V6 making 250 horsepower. This generation saw the return of convertible models. The car’s sublime aggression made it perfect for a certain TV show.
KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand) was the co-star of the TV show Knight Ryder alongside Michael Knight, portrayed by David Hasselhoff. KITT was an indestructible, fully sentient car able to drive itself, talk, and even feel emotions. Between 1982 and 1986, KITT helped solve numerous mysteries.
GM considered switching the F-bodies to Front Wheel Drive. But then gas prices dropped and enthusiasts got angry and they backed off. This prevented these pony cars from turning into crappy economy coupes.
For 1993, the Firebird was redesigned with a snarling, aggressive front end. Engines were a V6 (3.4 liters from 1993 to 1995, 3.8 after 1995) or the same 5.7 liter V8 from the Corvette. With declining sales, however, Pontiac chose to discontinue the Firebird for 2003. It was replaced by the GTO, a rebadged Holden Monaro.
When the retro Camaro was revived with a 2006 concept, there were some rumors that it would get a Firebird twin, but with the demise of the Pontiac brand in 2009, that came to nothing.
It’s disappointing that Pontiac’s best car was a slightly prettier Camaro, but it shall always have a place in our hearts. Hasselhoff and Reynolds drove it into our memories and made it a part of automotive history.